This invention is directed to a combination pop-top can and bottle opener. The opener of the invention is capable of opening either capped bottles or pop-top cans of the type having a lift tab.
Two of the most popular ways of dispensing individual servings of beverages are in pop-top beverage cans and capped bottles. A modern pop-top beverage can utilizes a lift tab which is permanently attached to the lid of the can. In lifting the tab, an end of the tab depresses a section of the top of the can which is scored on three sides. The end of the tab presses the scored area inwardly into the can to form an opening in the can. Once the can has been opened the tab is bent back flat and flush against the top of the can allowing the contents of the can to either be poured out or to be removed from the can by drinking directly from the can.
While the above described pop-top cans are very convenient, certain individuals have difficulty in opening them. This includes, children and other individuals having small digits on their hands or weak hands, persons with diseased or injured hands and persons having long fingernails which they desire to remain in tact.
Person with long delicate fingernails or arthritic hands and the like sometimes attempt to open pop-top cans by wedging an instrument such as a spoon handle, fork or the like underneath the lift tab to initially raise this tab up from the top surface of the can. While at times this might be utilitarian and serve to lift the lift tab up from the top surface of the can it can scratch or mar the lifting instrument, inadvertently torque the lift tab to sever it from the top of the can or potentially slip from the top of the can resulting in inadvertent cuts, scrapes and the like.
Individual capped bottles of beverages generally are bottled in either a bottle which has a lift off cap which must be removed with an opener, or a screw off cap which theoretically can be removed by twisting off the top of the bottle. It goes without saying that the caps designed to be removed with an opener or other implement cannot be opened without that implement. With twist off caps the force necessary to remove the cap is such that the same group of individuals which have difficulty with pop-top cans also have difficulty in removing the twist off caps from bottles sealed with twist off caps. These persons must result to utilizing an opener or the like to remove the twist off cap.
A variety of openers suitable for removing the caps on bottles are known and used. These bottle cap openers however have little utility in opening pop-top cans. Attempts to use thesr implements to assist in opening pop-top cans is either ineffective, awkward or dangerous. During the course of a days employment a bartender or other person who dispenses beverages may be required to open hundreds of pop-top cans and capped bottles. This continuous opening of pop-top cans can be very devastating to decorative fingernails and further it can be very irritating to the skin of the fingers because of the volume of lift tabs which must be manipulated.